The Ben Maynard Program

Send us Fan Mail

If you miss steel guitar, two-step tempos, and songs born from real work and long roads, you’ll love this one. We welcome Olivia Harms—a ranch-raised artist carrying the torch for true country western honky tonk—who opens up about life on a cattle ranch, the Bakersfield legends who shaped her ear, and why she proudly swims against the pop-country current. From Oregon roots to Texas bars, from George Strait shoutouts to Buck Owens sparkle, Olivia lays out how her sound came to be and why it connects on a Friday night dance floor.

We dig into her latest single, Sent From Above, a heartfelt nod to her California cowboy and the kind of love story that writes itself when the details are honest. Olivia also breaks down her writing routine—voice memos, fast-falling hooks, and the stubborn songs that take three sessions—and how playing more than 200 shows a year becomes the best A/B test a songwriter can ask for. Then the curveball: a phone call from Taylor Sheridan that led to The Road on CBS and Paramount Plus with Blake Shelton and Keith Urban. Olivia shares the whirlwind of being handpicked, touring by bus, performing originals for arena crowds, and finding the right fans in a sea of shiny distractions.

You’ll also meet her band, the Roadrunners, hear about life in tiny Vina, California, and catch a first-ever live performance on the show: This Ain’t My First Rodeo. It’s a window into her core—clean tele twang, straight-ahead storytelling, and a voice that rides the line between Bakersfield grit and Texas charm. If you came for tradition, you’ll leave with a new favorite.

If this episode hits your country-loving heart, tap follow, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend who still believes in honky tonk. Your support helps more ears find the music that never went out of style.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

A firefight in a jungle clearing. A river turned to splinters by a Browning Automatic Rifle. A mountain trail threaded through rocks and rigged with explosives. Then months of hospitals, traction, and quiet miracles. That’s the terrain of our time with Mel Borden—101st Airborne veteran, Purple Heart recipient, husband, father, and man of unwavering faith—who finally tells the story he resisted for decades.

We trace the path from jump school to an ill-fated ceremonial drop in Iran, then into Vietnam’s humidity where Mel carried an M16 and a radio he never officially trained for. He walks us through ambushes, punji stakes, and the blast on March 22, 1966 that tore through his leg and scattered his unit. What follows isn’t just medical detail; it’s providence in motion—an unexpected monsoon that saved lives, a young intern who changed dressings nightly, and a long sleep that let healing begin. Mel doesn’t romanticize combat or pain. He shows how suffering can deepen conviction, and how the hardest questions—Why him? Why me?—can become an invitation to purpose.

The story widens into love and legacy. Mel meets Cher at a tiny Bible college, fights through uncertainty, and learns to listen when the Holy Spirit won’t stop nudging. That same nudge sends him years later to an old friend from the 101st—Jim—on the very night Jim is baptized. It’s a full-circle moment that ties foxholes to faith and friendship to redemption. Along the way, Mel shares the quiet work of rebuilding a life: study at Biola, a job under the basket at Phoenix Suns games, and the everyday choices that make a home where children and grandchildren thrive.

This episode is for anyone who wants a fuller picture of service, sacrifice, and the grace that threads through both. We honor veterans by listening carefully and by letting their stories shape the way we live—grateful, grounded, and committed to doing right by the freedoms we enjoy. If this moved you, subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with someone who could use hope today.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The phones won’t stop ringing, the Malört keeps pouring, and somehow we still manage to time-travel back to the moment music met television and everything changed. We kick off with the Malört Challenge and a flurry of live calls, then pivot to a genuine, grounded tribute to veterans as we gear up for a special in-studio conversation with Vietnam veteran and author Mel Borden. Along the way, we share a programming note about country artist Olivia Harms, because good stories and great songs are always on deck here.

The heart of the episode is a spirited countdown of MTV’s first 25 videos from August 1, 1981. Expect a mix of nostalgia and fresh insight: Phil Collins’ shadow-soaked In the Air Tonight, Pretenders’ sly and scripted Brass in Pocket, REO Speedwagon’s arena-ready anthems, Iron Maiden’s early punch, and the lesser-known gems that filled those early rotations when labels were still experimenting with the format. We correct last week’s Pat Benatar mix-up and land on the most fitting opener in TV music history: The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star. From there, we honor the original VJs—JJ Jackson, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, and Martha Quinn—whose voices guided a generation through a new way to hear and see music.

It’s messy, it’s warm, and it’s real: community-driven radio energy blended with a love letter to the birth of music video culture. If you remember racing home to catch a premiere, this will feel like a mixtape made just for you. If you didn’t live through it, you’ll hear why MTV’s early days still ripple through playlists and platforms today. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves 80s music history, and drop your favorite launch-day video in the comments—we’ll shout out the best picks on the next show.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Ready to drop into a very specific moment when radio ruled and MTV was just learning to crawl? We spin the clock back to November 1, 1981 and walk through the Billboard Top 40, blending chart facts with the stories, studio secrets, and memories that make these songs glow again.

We start by setting the ground rules—Hot 100 vs Top 40 vs AC—then dive straight into the countdown. Expect a wide-angle view: the Go-Go’s shaking up pop with Our Lips Are Sealed, Pat Benatar powering early MTV, and Earth, Wind & Fire bringing the funk with Let’s Groove. We unpack why ELO slipped French into Hold On Tight, how Foreigner’s Urgent turned a Junior Walker sax break into legend, and why Rod Stewart’s Young Turks signaled a synth-driven pivot from his 70s sound. Along the way, we pull on threads that connect the charts to real life: concerts, car stereos, and the way a single track can stamp a season.

The middle stretch leans into giants. Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty turn a Heartbreakers tune into a career-defining duet. Olivia Newton-John’s Physical holds the summit for ten weeks, reshaping her image with a laser-focused pop move. James Ingram’s velvet voice on Just Once and The Police’s bright pulse on Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic show how R&B and new wave shared space on mainstream radio. We highlight the unsung heroes too—session players like Steve Lukather and the Toto crew—whose fingerprints are all over this chart from Christopher Cross to Quincy Jones.

We close by climbing through the top ten: Eddie Rabbitt’s smooth country crossover, Rick Springfield’s Hagar-penned rocker, Little River Band’s late-night anthem, and Dan Fogelberg’s heart-on-sleeve songwriting. Then it’s stadium fuel with Start Me Up at number two and a movie moment at number one, as Arthur’s Theme floats on Bacharach’s craft and pristine studio work. It’s a love letter to a week where pop, rock, R&B, and country sat shoulder to shoulder—and to the memories these songs unlock the moment the first bar hits.

If this trip through 1981 hit the nostalgia nerve, tap follow, share the show with a friend who loves the 80s, and leave a quick review. What’s your favorite track from this chart, and which one deserved to climb higher? Tell us—we might feature your take next time.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Three longtime friends sit down to build the ultimate Halloween watchlist—and accidentally write a love letter to the entire horror genre. We start with a simple premise: the best movies to watch in October don’t need jack-o’-lanterns on screen, they just need that unmistakable fall feeling. From Universal monsters to modern slashers, from moody thrillers to cult parodies, we mix personal favorites with film craft insights and the kind of late-night stories only movie nerds can tell.

We dig into what actually makes a film scary. Is it the gore, or the restraint? Halloween (1978) becomes our North Star: a tiny budget, an unforgettable synth theme, and a shape that rises when the frame goes quiet. Friday the 13th gets credit for a perfect twist and inventive kills, while Scream earns its place as a meta reset that taught an entire generation to spot tropes. Poltergeist blends suburban comfort with spectral chaos, and Fright Night slyly weaves faith, folklore, and teenage panic. Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula shows how practical effects and novel fidelity can still feel lush and dangerous, and The Shining turns isolation into a pressure cooker where sound is the real knife.

We also roam the deeper stacks. Vincent Price and The Raven prove horror can grin while it chills. Jaws and Duel show how music and editing transform everyday spaces into threat zones. Phantasm’s tall man and silver sphere highlight indie ambition and dream logic. The Purge pushes into social horror, where the monster looks a lot like us. And at the foundation sits Frankenstein (1931), the blueprint for American gothic: iconic makeup, towering sets, and a creature that taught generations how to stage tragedy and menace.

Expect spirited debate, production lore (yes, Michael Myers wears a repainted Captain Kirk mask), and the occasional tangent about midnight screenings and wired theater seats. Most of all, expect a watchlist that respects mood, myth, and meaning as much as body count. If you love October for its atmosphere and stories that linger, you’re in the right place.

Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and drop your top three Halloween must-watches in the comments. Share it with a friend who thinks they’ve seen it all—what did we miss?

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

What if a country song could change the way you love the people closest to you? We sit down with Josh Gale and Sean Monahan of Charleston’s Gale Bird to unpack their high-energy live show, the heart behind their new single “Roses,” and why they reject the “Christian country” box while still writing about what God cares about: marriage, courage, humility, and hope.

From the first riff, you’ll hear what sets them apart—lush harmonies, big-time guitar solos, and a commitment to excellence that lowers defenses in the room. Josh and Sean share how they write from personal need, not market trends, turning private lessons into public lyrics that feel like the words you meant to say yesterday. “Roses” is a simple, urgent message: stop waiting for the perfect moment to speak love. Say it now, before time runs out. That theme expands into a candid talk about pride, why men hold back praise, and how intentionality can do what emotions won’t.

We go behind the scenes of their process: a label push to deliver twenty songs in six months, early mornings at the gym, client work in web and PR, session gigs, and carving out studio time between family schedules. They open up about industry realities—venue closures, insurance costs, and why streams don’t pay the bills—and make a clear case for how fans can keep new music alive: buy merch, bring friends, and support club shows. Along the way, we trace their influences from the Eagles and Skynyrd to Queen and Lincoln Brewster, and explore how a great live show can turn into life-giving conversations on the ride home.

If you love alternative country with real lyrics and big musicianship, or you just need a nudge to say the thing that matters, this conversation will stick. Stream “Roses,” check out Gale Bird’s catalog, and tell us the line that hit you hardest. If you enjoyed this, subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend who needs some courage today.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The news hit like a power chord: Ace Frehley, the Space Ace who helped launch KISS into legend, is gone at 74. We didn’t plan this show, but some losses demand a pause, a story, and a stack of records. So we pulled the vinyl, opened the gatefolds, and traced how one guitarist turned curiosity into devotion—from hearing KISS Alive for the first time to wearing out Love Gun on a summer wall with a boombox and friends.

We walk through Ace’s DNA as a player and writer: the early cuts he penned without singing, the moment Shock Me revealed a new voice, and why his solos feel like mini-songs with their own arcs. The mystique mattered too. Before social media, you learned through magazines and rare TV glimpses, like the infamous Tom Snyder interview where Ace’s cackle and timing stole the night. That mischievous, kind spirit made the myth human, even as the guitar stayed larger than life.

There’s hard truth here as well. We revisit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame no-performance debacle and the now-impossible Kennedy Center moment, reflecting on what happens when time runs out before fences are mended. Still, the music kept coming: Origins, Space Invader, Anomaly, Spaceman—proof that Ace never stopped creating or touring. We share a recent live memory that captures his charm and flaws, and then roll out a definitive top 10 of Ace-sung tracks, from Into the Void to Ozone, Fractured Mirror, and the always-electric Shock Me.

If you grew up with KISS, this will feel like opening a time capsule. If you’re new to Ace’s catalog, it’s a map to what mattered: tone, feel, humor, and heart. Press play, share your first Ace memory, and spin those records loud. If this moved you, subscribe, rate the show, and tell a friend—then drop your must-include Ace track so we can keep the tribute going.

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

What if a single album could define an era, spark a memory, and convert a newcomer in one spin? We dive into the compilations that earned permanent residency in car stereos, living rooms, and playlists—records that are more than samplers, they’re time machines. From Queen’s precision-crafted anthems to CCR’s jukebox grit, from the Eagles’ California melancholy to the Beatles’ Red and Blue masterclass in evolution, we trace how the best greatest-hits collections tell a bigger story than any one studio album can.

We share how U2’s 1980–1990 compresses the sprint from post‑punk urgency to widescreen grandeur, why Billy Joel’s Vol. I & II plays like a perfect American songbook, and how Journey’s Greatest Hits quietly became a chart marathoner that refuses to leave. Along the way, we swap memories, chart stats, and the sequencing choices that turn a stack of singles into a seamless journey. We also spotlight Beach Boys’ Endless Summer for pure mood, and tip our caps to legends like Bob Marley’s Legend, ABBA Gold, Elton John, Stones’ Hot Rocks, Bowie’s Changes, Aerosmith’s early set, and Steve Miller’s radio rocket fuel.

If you’ve ever argued that a compilation can outshine an artist’s original albums, you’ll feel right at home. And if you’re new to any of these catalogs, consider this your curated map—built for long drives, house parties, and late-night nostalgia. Hit play, debate the canon, and tell us the one greatest-hits album you’d save first.

Enjoyed the ride? Subscribe, rate, and share with a friend who loves a good music rabbit hole. Your comments and reviews help more listeners find the show—what’s your number one greatest-hits pick?

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

The show opened on an empty chair and an honest apology—and then turned into one of our most substantive conversations yet. Sheriff Chad Bianco, longtime Riverside County law enforcement leader and 2026 California gubernatorial candidate, sat down with us to map out practical, fast-acting ways to tackle the problems Californians feel every day: $4+ gas, brazen theft, encampments, soaring insurance risk from fires, and schools that feel more political than practical.

We start where wallets hurt. Bianco explains why California pays so much at the pump and lays out day-one moves: permit in-state drilling, modernize refineries, end boutique-fee games, and let supply meet demand. From there, he draws a straight line to cost of living—transport drives the price of everything—and to business retention by scrapping predatory litigation like PAGA, slashing red tape, and competing with zero-income-tax states. Public safety is his core: reopen closed prisons, restore consequences, support prosecutors who prosecute, and give communities the baseline security that lets everything else grow.

On homelessness, he pushes a treatment-first model: mandatory detox, serious mental health care, and structured reentry—backed by redirecting billions from ineffective NGOs to providers that actually deliver outcomes. We go deep on water and wildfire, too: build storage now, partner with the Army Corps of Engineers, turn on desalination, and fund Cal Fire to stop letting manageable fires become city-level disasters. He also takes on redistricting power grabs, voter trust, and a school overhaul anchored in universal vouchers and a hard line on protecting girls’ spaces in sports and locker rooms.

Whether you agree with every policy or not, the conversation is clear-eyed and packed with specifics. If you’re tired of abstract slogans and want to hear how a governor could reduce costs, raise safety, and restore basic competence, this one delivers. If it resonates, do us a favor—subscribe, leave a review, share it with a friend, and tell us in the comments: what should be fixed first?

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

Ever wondered about the untold stories behind those songs that dominated the airwaves for just a fleeting moment? Friday Night Live takes you on a musical journey through decades of one-hit wonders, revealing the surprising connections and career trajectories that followed these brief moments of fame.

After catching up on recent events (including a nostalgic alumni gathering that kept the conversation flowing until midnight), I dive into what makes certain albums true masterpieces from start to finish. Boston's groundbreaking debut—engineered by MIT graduate Tom Scholz in his basement with custom-built equipment—stands as a testament to musical innovation, having sold 16 million copies despite never receiving a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination. Similarly, The Cars' first album packed nine tracks with six becoming certified hits, essentially creating a greatest hits collection on their first try.

The heart of our musical exploration celebrates one-hit wonders across the decades, but with a twist—uncovering how these seemingly isolated successes connect to the broader musical landscape. Did you know Shocking Blue's "Venus" found new life with Bananarama? Or that Jim Peterick of The Ides of March ("Vehicle") later formed Survivor and co-wrote "Eye of the Tiger"? From Free morphing into Bad Company after "All Right Now" to David Bowie penning "All the Young Dudes" for Mott the Hoople, these connections paint a richer picture of music history.

Some artists labeled as one-hit wonders actually had multiple chart successes—Don McLean followed "American Pie" with a hit cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying," while The Knack and Donnie Iris continued their success beyond their signature songs. Even Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf's primary songwriter, created nearly identical-sounding hits for Air Supply, Bonnie Tyler, and Barry Manilow all in 1983.

The Melort Challenge returns tonight—call in with music trivia that stumps me, and I'll take a shot of the worst-tasting liquor ever created as punishment. Join me next Saturday for a special live interview with Sheriff Chad Bianco, who's running for governor of California. Your questions and comments will be welcome during the stream!#tellyourstory #familymatters #thebenmaynardprogram #musiccommentary #musicstories #onehitwonders

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram: benmaynardprogram 
and subscribe to my YouTube channel: THE BEN MAYNARD PROGRAM
I also welcome your comments. email: [email protected]